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Cities always collect thousands of guns when they do buy-back programs. It's not a lost cause. There are ways of reducing the inventory of guns on the street and in homes.
200 deaths per year in this country from various humans going crazy and murder-suiciding.
Murder, Total firearms:8,583 / 67.1 Percent UCR 2011
Murder, Total All Weapons - 12,664
Quote:
the government is largely responsible for them not being able to defend themselves.
Under that theory then one used improperly should make the manufacturer libel. Just as idiotic. The fact that most firearms owners take little time or effort to train properly beyond standing at a range making holes is static paper targets.
You have 350,000,000 or so humans living in this country. Every so often, one of them is going to go haywire and lose it and try to wipe out some people along with themselves. If you outlawed every firearm in the country they would buy gasoline and make huge firebombs and blow up a school or theater or mall or what have you. There is nothing you can do about it, no program to handle it, no policy to prevent it. It is simply a fact of life. If you look at the statistics, and keep the emotions out of it, you will see, and this is a guess, 200 deaths per year in this country from various humans going crazy and murder-suiciding. Usually the damage is 5 people or less. Every once in a while it's 15-100. The stories are always dramatic and spectacular and highly visible, but you don't change our basic freedoms to address this. Since doing so will not accomplish anything. It is going to happen no matter what you do or how you do it. It's random, it's irrational, and humans will always figure out a way to commit mayhem once they've gone off the deep end. Fortunately, even at 200 deaths per year in a country of 300 million plus, it is exceedingly rare. I don't see committing resources to this, as it is unchangeable and there are thousands of other things that cause far more deaths and are better uses of our money and time and attention.
Honestly I dont care what anyone says. If you equate guns to freedom you are an idiot.
You have 350,000,000 or so humans living in this country. Every so often, one of them is going to go haywire and lose it and try to wipe out some people along with themselves. If you outlawed every firearm in the country they would buy gasoline and make huge firebombs and blow up a school or theater or mall or what have you. There is nothing you can do about it, no program to handle it, no policy to prevent it. It is simply a fact of life. If you look at the statistics, and keep the emotions out of it, you will see, and this is a guess, 200 deaths per year in this country from various humans going crazy and murder-suiciding. Usually the damage is 5 people or less. Every once in a while it's 15-100. The stories are always dramatic and spectacular and highly visible, but you don't change our basic freedoms to address this. Since doing so will not accomplish anything. It is going to happen no matter what you do or how you do it. It's random, it's irrational, and humans will always figure out a way to commit mayhem once they've gone off the deep end. Fortunately, even at 200 deaths per year in a country of 300 million plus, it is exceedingly rare. I don't see committing resources to this, as it is unchangeable and there are thousands of other things that cause far more deaths and are better uses of our money and time and attention.
I'm glad you weren't around when polio was ravaging the country. "Ahh, f*ck it. There are worse diseases in Africa. If we lose a few thousand people a year, it's no big deal in the scheme of things."
We can do better. Australia banned automatic & semi-automatic rifles and shotguns (which aren't needed by the public) following the massacre of 35 people in Tasmania by a nut using an AR-15. In the 18 years before the ban, there were 13 gun massacres (4 or more victims) in Australia. In the time since the ban in 1996 there have been none. Here's what Prime Minister John Howard (a conservative) had to say:
Australia is a safer country as a result of what was done in 1996. It will be the continuing responsibility of current and future federal and state governments to ensure the effectiveness of those anti-gun laws is never weakened. The US is a country for which I have much affection. There are many American traits which we Australians could well emulate to our great benefit. But when it comes to guns we have been right to take a radically different path.
Ban guns sure, it's a much easier approach then to Treat the real issue Mental illness. But how do we solve the mental illness puzzle, is it solvable?
Remember Leiby Klezky The guy that dismembered the little boy in NY well no gun was used in that horrific murder. How about Alyssa Bustamante she killed a little girl just to see how it felt again no gun was used, but all these senseless killings have one thing in common and that's mental illness.
Unfortunatley With or without guns these sensless acts will continue.
I'm glad you weren't around when polio was ravaging the country. "Ahh, f*ck it. There are worse diseases in Africa. If we lose a few thousand people a year, it's no big deal in the scheme of things."
We can do better. Australia banned automatic & semi-automatic rifles and shotguns (which aren't needed by the public) following the massacre of 35 people in Tasmania by a nut using an AR-15. In the 18 years before the ban, there were 13 gun massacres (4 or more victims) in Australia. In the time since the ban in 1996 there have been none. Here's what Prime Minister John Howard (a conservative) had to say:
Australia is a safer country as a result of what was done in 1996. It will be the continuing responsibility of current and future federal and state governments to ensure the effectiveness of those anti-gun laws is never weakened. The US is a country for which I have much affection. There are many American traits which we Australians could well emulate to our great benefit. But when it comes to guns we have been right to take a radically different path.
Under that theory then one used improperly should make the manufacturer libel. Just as idiotic.
nope, thats a terrible comparison. you are responsible for how you use a tool/weapon. but if the government stops you from being able to use the tool, they are putting you in danger.
i myself am a legal gun owner ,i went through the process of background checks and was allowed by law to own a gun
i donot believe high capacity mags should be allowed to be sold in this country at all
what i do believe is the mother bears alot of this blame
she had legally owned guns with easy access to a son that had mental problems
if she didnot realize he had problems im guessing she also didnt pay him the right amount of attention that he required,hence the senseless shooting of innocent adults and children
the last thing that persons against guns want is a govt. that only has the guns
examples of this are in history books ,germany, russia ,china ,north korea and so on
i myself am a legal gun owner ,i went through the process of background checks and was allowed by law to own a gun
i donot believe high capacity mags should be allowed to be sold in this country at all
what i do believe is the mother bears alot of this blame
she had legally owned guns with easy access to a son that had mental problems
if she didnot realize he had problems im guessing she also didnt pay him the right amount of attention that he required,hence the senseless shooting of innocent adults and children
the last thing that persons against guns want is a govt. that only has the guns
examples of this are in history books ,germany, russia ,china ,north korea and so on
people in this country have gotten too comfortable thinking that we are so peaceful and that can never change. i dont want government to have such a huge military over the citizens. there is a check and balance there that is needed for free people from tyranny.
i agree with the mother being someone to blame. so im trying to think of what is the right balance of law and freedom to cover that issue. it seems like legal gun owners need to be held responsible for anything that happens with their guns that are used by someone else. in this case the mom is dead, but maybe if she had given more thought about repercussions for other people using her guns, she would have kept them more secure from her son. btw, im just thinking out loud for discussion purposes. i dont know what the ultimate best law would be, so no need to attack this "position" i have taken since i havent really taken it yet. id like to have gun control that minimizes crime without denying good citizens from owning powerful weapons.
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